The Philippines has celebrated Father’s Day since the 1980s. Even though declared a holiday of sorts by two Philippine presidents, the observance is not actually an official public holiday.

President Aquino set the date as the third Sunday of June in 1988 by presidential proclamation. President Estrada changed it to the first Monday of December, also by presidential proclamation in 1998. And he also set Mother’s Day on that same date. However, many still keep the dates for Father’s Day and Mother’s Day that are kept in other parts of the world.

For Father’s Day, many in the Philippines give gifts to their father, grandfather, uncle, brother, stepfather, or even a male friend who has had a “fatherly” influence on their lives. Cards, sweets, picnics, or a meal at a restaurant are common ways to honour Dad on his big day.